Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail
OUR TRUTH
Gajeel's POV
"Jackal, one of Mard's guys, saved me from Dimaria Yesta. We're on our way to the station with her now." I knew it was irrational but I was angry that I hadn't been there to save her. "You be extra careful, Lev, if somethin' happens to you-" I heard her scoff on the other end of the line. "I know, Gaj, relax. Jackal is with me, I have the taser, and we just got to the station." I nodded, pulling up to the gate of my house and punching in my access code, and as I pulled around the bend I parked in front of the door and watched Raios take the others inside as I stayed back to talk with Lev. "You're coming over tonight, right?" I asked, wanting nothing more than to make her stay with us until Spriggan was stopped, and she hummed. "Yea, do you want me to wait for you to come get me?" I didn't want anyone tagging her car in the time that she wasn't using it so I nodded and then spoke up. "Yea, I'll get Bunny Girl settled in and come get ya from your place, make sure you have someone with ya." I reminded her, earning a giggle. "Alright, Gaj, I'll do that. Thanks, for helping Lu-chan, I appreciate it." I couldn't help but huff, the damned blond was a trouble magnet and a half, and I heard her chuckle a bit.
"Text me when you're home." I reminded her, earning a soft reassurance from her, and I hung up the phone and peered around my yard; Raios and I had been adopted by a pair of brothers, our fathers were rich as hell, so we'd both agreed to buy this place when they went missing. I hadn't been kidding when I said that the house had the most up-to-date security system, there were cameras around the outside of the house that would trigger an alert to my phone whenever something moved into the field of vision. The doors and windows had sensors whenever anything passed through the invisible field that would trigger the camera with sight on that field to warn my phone too, I didn't have cameras inside though since I could handle that himself, and I was constantly disregarding bugs and critters that got too close. The fence had a field lining the top as well so if someone or something climbed over it and entered the yard he'd know. Call me paranoid but after escaping the clutches of the former mayor Jose, I had been nothing more than his bruiser and dog, and I had learned to be overly careful. Raios had nearly died that night and I refused to ever let that shit happen again.
"Gajeel?" Lucy asked softly, her brown eyes meeting mine, and I realized I must have been zoning out. "Yea?" No point in pretending like I'd been listening or anything, she wasn't stupid, and she nibbled her lower lip before sliding her arms around me. "Thanks, for everything, and I'm really really sorry that you're involved and if there's any-" I stopped her before she could finish. "Oi, listen up Bunny. I know you didn't mean for anyone to figure out who you were, that was the point of you changing yer name and shut. But I don't give two damns about any of that, you're my friend and the best friend of my girl, you are the one who wanted to leave that past of yours behind and I'll stand by you no matter what just like Lev will. It doesn't matter that I got involved, I would have any way since I'm a cop, but I'm not gonna let you stay at risk any more than you are. We're gonna find Zeref Dragneel, beat his ass, get rid of the damn drug and slave trafficking, and then we're all gonna fucking move on." I reassured her, searching her face, and tears gathered in her eyes; I returned her hug and sighed. "I won't let you face this alone, neither will any of the others." The blond nodded and I rubbed her back, she had every right to cry and be upset, and when she stopped shaking I knew she was fine.
"I'm waiting on Lev to text me, she'll be staying with us, when I go to pick her up just stay here with the kids." I watched her nod. "Got it. I'll start on dinner too." I wanted to argue but I kept my mouth shut. "Alright." I watched her head inside and blinked when she looked back at me. "Do you have any food allergies?" I shook my head and she nodded. "Got it." Then she was inside and heading for the kitchen.
Erza's POV
I looked at Natsu, really looked at him, and a part of me wondered how he'd been able to hide who he really was for so long. His dark gold eyes were narrowed, his mouth curled into an unfamiliar sneer, and he just seemed far more...angry. "Natsu-" He let out a loud, rather obnoxious, groan. "Look, Erza, I'm not tellin' ya a damn thing. So step the fuck back and leave me alone." His tone had even changed, drastically, and I crossed my arms under my chest as I regarded him again. "Natsu...why would you do that to Lucy? Why would you sell out a girl who wanted to just stay hidden?" I watched his face for a moment, he seemed to struggle with answering me, and I began to wonder if he had Dissociative Identity Disorder as well. "Why should I care about a damn girl that I only knew for a few weeks? It wasn't like she gave me money, or fed me, or anything. Lucy is a stranger, I don't get how any of you can't see that, she's a spoiled rich girl who ran away from it all when Mommy and Daddy died and left her alone." He snapped, his tone hostile, and I couldn't help but slap him.
"You don't know what she's been through, what she's had to deal with, and she's human just like any of us. Why the hell are you trying to help Zeref start up a drug trafficking route? Why would you condone him wanting to turn kids into sex slaves?" Natsu didn't know about my past but he knew me, maybe him knowing what I went through would make him see? I sat down and he glared harder, Ajeel and Invel were in another room now, to prevent them from hearing us talk, and I knew Erik was listening in. "Zeref said he'd help find Igneel if I helped him." Igneel was Natsu's father by adoption, he'd just vanished one day and left the boy alone, and I knew that he missed him dearly. "Natsu...I'm one of the few survivors from the Balam Sex Ring." His eyes widened, his jaw falling open, and I kept going. "I was kidnapped from my home town before I can remember, I just remember being beaten often, I was raised in that ring with all those kids. Men would make us work as slaves, get them food and drinks, and we were frequently raped; I had friends who were sold to other cities, their chests cut open so the men could hide bags of drugs inside of them...it is not something anyone should have to go through." He was studying me now, I knew, but I let him see the raw hurt and pain.
"Y-you?" He asked, his eyes going soft, and I nodded. "Yes, Natsu, me. I know I don't act like it but I had to go through a lot of therapy." He was still silent and when I looked up at him I could see an expression on his face I hadn't seen before, it was a mixture of sadness and pain. "Erza...I didn't...I don't..." He was confused, it was easy to see, and I let out a soft sigh. "What if he's the reason Igneel left?" The pink haired boy's gaze snapped up to my face, his expression sharp, and the normally confident person began to shatter. "Why? Why would Dad leave because of him?" I shrugged. "I'm not sure, Natsu, but you cannot trust that Zeref will reunite you two. How would he know where Igneel is? How would he know where to look that you haven't already?" I watched his face, watched his body language, and stood up. "You know that you're our friend, Natsu, and that we'd help too. You know Lucy will forgive you if you stop now and help us." I knew she would, Lucy was kind and loving, the blond had even said she wanted to get to know everyone better and that she wouldn't hold anyone's past against them. I heard the door shut with a click just as Natsu let out a sob, the sound turned off and Erik was turned away to give the boy some privacy.
"Overload is with Levy, Mard, Mira, and Mard's employees. They brought Dimaria in, another one of Zeref's generals, she was after Levy. Gajeel asked to have someone take Levy back to her place so he can pick her up." I nodded and followed him out to the main room, Levy waving, and I blinked as Mard waved a hand. "Kyouka and Seilah will accompany you, the more in the group the better at the moment, please be safe." He was truly worried, it was refreshing to know that for all the bad that was surfacing that there was some good involved, and I noticed the harsh expression on Erik's face as he and Laxus stormed down the hall toward the office. "What…?" Levy shook her head. "I don't know." If there was something they were hiding from us I'd kill them myself. "Macbeth and Sawyer are on their way to get me, I'm going to stay here and chat with Elfman for a bit." Sorano piped up as Mard looked at her. "I'm taking Mirajane to the hospital, we're going to make sure Chelia is alright." The lawyer explained as the group began to split up, Jackal following after Mard and Mira while Sorano sat with Elfman. I led Levy and the two female guards outside.
"Everything is going to be okay...right Erza?" Levy asked softly, her voice worried, and I glanced at her and nodded. "We'll make it work, Levy, I promise." The girl nodded, her expression soft, and Kyouka let out a small hum. "Mard has informants in Alvarez still, Torafuzer and Tempester are currently working undercover in what we think is Zeref's ring, Jackal was just called back since he'd been getting higher in the ranks there. We can't have him be too recognizable." The woman explained gently, her royal blue eyes shifting to look around, and Seilah offered a silent nod of agreement. The group of us four girls made it to Levy's apartment and quickly packed up a decent bit of her clothes and anything else she'd need, she'd already sent a text to Gajeel and knew he'd be here soon, and when they heard the roar of an engine they knew that the pierced cop had pulled up since only he drove the car that sounded like a damn dragon coming down the street.
Levy slid into the passenger seat, kissing her boyfriend, and we waved as they vanished down the road. "Thank you, for all your help." I looked at Kyouka and Seilah, both of which nodded, and I knew that tonight I'd tell Jellal what was going on once I knew Lucy was okay with him knowing the truth. He had been raised in the sex ring, like I had, but upon getting out he'd become a member of the high class through adoption. He had ended up running away from that all, just as Lucy had, and while the three of us walked toward the station again my phone went off. I stared at the screen for a moment and smiled. "Hello Jellal." I greeted softly. "Erza, don't go hom-" The call was disconnected and my face went white. "Erza?" Kyouka asked warily as I redialed the number. "Erza Scarlet, how wonderful to hear from you after all this time. It's just...dandy." The man's voice was deep, gentle, but I knew who it was. "Wally? What's going on?" I asked carefully, he'd been one of the other kids who had survived the hell we'd known. "Just getting some revenge, not all of us got the luxury suite after that hell, Jellal certainly didn't come help us when he got that amazing life." It was hard to hear that from him of all people, he'd been Jellal's best friend after all, and I felt anger crawl through my veins.
"Wally-" The call disconnected, leaving nothing, and Kyouka looked at me. "We'll go find him with you." I offered them a look of thanks and sent a message to Laxus before the two girls followed me away from the station.
Sorry for the two perspectives only but I wanted to focus on how other people are getting affected now that the truth is out. Plus Natsu isn't necessarily bad, maybe, he just wants his papa back.